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Information: In the production of green tea the new leaves are hand plucked and immediately taken to the factory where they are slowly withered to reduce their water content. The leaves are not allowed to ferment and immediately go to the rolling process where the shape of the leaf is achieved. Following this they are pan fired which locks in the flavor. You can see that these teas are machined rolled since the leaf appearance is somewhat mixed and the final product has not been had sorted (which would result in whole leaf and buds appearing). The pan fired tea has more body that the steamed green Darjeeling because during the rolling stage a small amount of fermentation does occur, hence the slightly extra body.
Nagri Farm is a tea estate in the Darjeeling region. Prior to the 1800’s Nagri Farm, due to its prominent location where it has a commanding view of the surrounding plains, was a fortified (fort) location with a local garrison. There were occasional skirmishes between local tribe people and ‘outsiders’ from Nepal, Tibet and warring Maharajahs. Later the fort became a dairy farm using the old fort buildings. In the 1880’s, use of the farm changed when tea was planted, hence, the name of the estate.
The estate is divided in to 34 sections. Sections 1 – 5 are bushes that were planted prior to 1883 and sections 6 -12 were replanted in 1883. Sections 13 – 34 were subsequently planted over the intervening years. Interestingly, these old bushes have a very unique shape, almost bonsai like. Despite the fact that these bushes are extremely hardy, the yield is low. The estate covers 726 acres and the average yield is 600 pounds per acre. Compare this to an estate in Assam which has a yield of 2000 pounds per acre.
Hot Brewing Method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to just before a boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cut in the teapot. Pour your hot water over the leaves. Let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (The longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Add milk and sugar to taste. Iced Tea Brewing Method: Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of very hot water over to tea, steep for 5 minutes. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and garnish and sweeten to taste if desired.
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